Game



June 5, 1962 T. L. CHAMBERS ETAL 3,037,773

GAME

Filed Nov. 18, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 5, 1962 T. L. CHAMBERS ETAL 7 GAME."

Filed Nov. 18, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS jivfZM/i L. 'm mafes Z2544? 0e5 Dee /.5

ATTORNEYS 1014- Crittenden St. NE., Washington, D.C. Filed Nov. 18, 1959, Ser. No. 853,794

1 Claim. (Cl. 273134) This invention relates to a game, and has as its primary object the provision of an improved game of high entertainment value based upon imaginary trading trips throughout the solar system.

Briefly, the game comprises a board having a schematic representation of the solar system with the center at earth, representations of the various planets, and the moon, which, for the purposes of the game, is counted as a planet, and various routes between the earth and the several planets, each marked into spaces, which spaces are covered by playing pieces in a manner to be described hereinafter, and which spaces may be marked by various indicia.

There are certain component pieces of the game, which comprise stock certificates, ships, flags for the ships, simulated money, directives, orders to planets and 8.0.8. cards, the interrelation of which and the interplay com bine to provide a game of extremely high entertainment value.

The component parts are illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 represents the playing board;

FIGURES 2 to 6, inclusive, represent various printed elements associated with the game; and

FIGURE 7 depicts one of the simulated ships and its associated flag utilized in playing the game.

The board, as will be seen, includes a so-called space control station with spaces for Directives, Orders to Planets, and 8.0.8. cards. The directives are disclosed in FIGURE 6 and may include such instructions as Proceed 2; Proceed 4; 8.0.8., Contact Space Station Master; Retreat 2 Spaces; and the like. The orders to planets are illustrated schematically at FIGURE 3, and comprise a stack of cards which may read Collect and remain on planet until next turn; Come in immediately bonus $100,000; Corporation pays 10% dividend on all owned stock; or similar indicia. FIGURE 2 discloses the stock certificates employed in the game, each of which is worth a theoretical $1,000,000. Other media, such as plastic discs or the like, may be substituted for the stock certificates if desired. In FIGURE 5 there is disclosed a stack of simulated money which may be of various denominations, but preferably totals $10,000,000 in bills of $5,000, $10,000, $25,000, $50,000, $100,000 and $500,000 denominations. FIGURE 4 shows printed matter indicative of 8.0.8. cards for various purposes, as will be later described, and in FIGURE 7 there is generally indicated at 10 a frusto-conical base indicative of a ship which has a top aperture 11, which forms a socket for releasably holding the staif 12 of a flag 13, the flag bearing the name of the individual ship. The base member 10 may, if desired, be of any other suitable shape and may be colored or decorated in any desired manner to indicate a specific players ship.

In playing the game, the following rules are preferably observed:

When game begins each player is given $450,000 by the Director and is equipped with fuel and spaceship free of cost to the player. (Later in the game a new ship will cost a player $100,000, and refueling will cost him $50,000.)

(1) The first player is the one to the left of Director. He draws a Directive and complies with the order. If it happens to be an order to reverse his position, he will 3,037,773 Patented June 5, 1962 remain on earth until next turn. Other players follow in turn, clockwise around the table.

(2) Each player moves ofi earth into space in whatever direction he chooses to go, proceeding on white lines as directed, counting white squares, red areas, planets, earth and asteroids, each as one hop. (Asteroids are the little way-stations marked with various cargo values similar to cargo on planets.)

(3) When a players order causes him to stop on a planet he immediately draws a blue card Orders to Planets. This card tells him whether or not he collects, etc.

(4) When a player passes through .a planet without stopping, he is paid for cargo indicated on that planet immediately upon completing his play.

(5) When a player draws a Directive or an Orders to Planets saying 8.0.8. Contact Headquartershe draws an S.O.S. card from the space control station. The $0.8. order must be complied with immediately.

(6) When a player draws Crash Land card, it must be assumed that he crashes to earth, no matter where he is in space or even if he is just about to take off from earth. If he wishes to remain in the game he must at once pay $100,000 for a new ship. Then he remains on earth until his next turn when he will pay another $50,000 for refueling immediately before drawing a Dire ctive.

(7) At anytime when ships are on earth (except at the beginning of the game), the player must pay $50,000 for refueling, "before drawing a Directive.

(8) When a player stops on a planet that another player is occupying, he must pay the owner of the ship already there rights to enter the planet. (The moon is treated throughout the game as any planet.)

(9) The rights a player must pay will be agreed upon between the two parties. The player first occupying the planet may want to make the amount prohibitive to the other player. On the other hand, he may want to make the amount inducive if he needs to secure quick cash. If the player having to pay does not care to pay the price asked, he merely stops one square short of the planet and awaits his next turn to play again.

(10) When a player stops on a planet, he may change direction at his next play-he may head back towards earth or towards any other planetbut once oif the earth or a planet he must continue in the same direction, unless ordered to reverse direction.

(11) There are five red storm areas on the board. These are dangerous places in space. If a ship stops on a red area it is presumed to he wrecked. It is possible, however, to save the crew-to transfer the owner of the ship to safety on another spaceship, since at these points in space the ships are weightless. When a ship stops on a red area, the spaceship belonging to the next player must zoom immediately to his rescue. (Zoom means to go immediately, in one hop, disregarding the ordinary stopping points.) The shipwrecked player must then pay his rescuer $50,000.

(12) The flag of the wrecked ship is given to the Rescuer and the ship is given to the Director. The flag is carried with the flag of the rescuer on his ship.

(13) If the shipwrecked player has plenty of money or stock, he may offer his Rescuer any sum to take him back to earth. If the deal is made immediately, the Rescuer is allowed to zoom at once to earth, and the shipwrecked player may then repurchase his ship, recover his flag and await his next turn to start out into space again.

(14) The Rescuer however may prefer to refuse all offers and keep his opponent out of circulation (to keep him from making more money and buying more stock). He may, if he chooses, continue to avoid earth as long as ':at face value number of shares to the highest bidder.

he wishes, unless he receives a directive instructing him to return to earth. 7

(15) The Rescue Operation does not change the Rescuers normal play. As soon as the "deal" is completed, the Rescuer draws a directive and the game continues.

(16) If a player lands on a red square while transporting a shipwrecked player, he must himself then be rescued. In this event he must pay $100,000 to the Second Rescuer to transport himself and the other shipwrecked player back to earth. He also must turn his ship over to the Director and both flags he Was carrying then are carried with the flag of the second Rescuer.

(17) The second Rescuer then has an opportunity to zoom back to earth if either or both of the shipwrecked players offer him a sufficiently pleasing sum of money or stock. (A third or fourth rescue would behandled identically.)

(18) If a player is unable to pay an obligation when it is demanded of him, he may then sell stock to the bank or, if he chooses, he may auction any (19) If a player is unable to raise cash to pay an obligation, he is out of the game.

(20) When a player goes out of the game, he must turn his spaceship and flag in to the Director, and the ship is retired from the game.

(21) If players care to keep a cumulative record of their winnings, setting a certain goal as the Grand Winner, score cards may (be used, recording each players total shares of stock and total cash at the end of each game, and finally tallying up both stock and cash to determine the Grand Winner at the end of aseries of games.

(22) If less than eight (8) players enter the game All the money and stock may still be used. However, this will make the game last longer. If it is desired to shorten the game when fewer than 8 players enter,

deduct one million dollars ($1,000,000) and five I shares of stock for each player under the total of 8. For instance:

5 If 3 playdeduct $5,000,000 and '25 shares of stock.

If 2 play--deduct $6,000,000 and shares of stock.

S.O.S. cards mentioning spaceships by name also should be Withdrawn for each space ship NOT IN USE.

From this it will be seen that there is herein provided a novel game of relatively high entertainment value which accomplishes all of the stated objects of this invention, and others. As various changes and modifications may be made in the structure and rules previously described, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted merely as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

We claim:

A solar system travel game comprising a board having indicia symbolic of the solar system, delineated routes between the earth and various other planets of the solar system, simulated ships to be manually moved by the players along said routes, markings on said board indicative I of a value receivable on arrival of the ship at a designated place along the route and between the various planets, a card placement area printed on a portion of said board on which are arranged groups of cards for use in conjunction with said board, said cards being placed on printed headings, directions printed on one group of said cards for generally dictating the movement of said ships, the other of said groups of cards having indicia printed thereon to dictate instructions to a player after the players ship has reached a corresponding designated place on the lboard between the various planets.

7 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 843,992 Boswell Feb. 12, 1907 1,538,134 Muir May 19, 1925 2,295,452 Deaton Sept. 8, 1942 2,780,463 Salomon Feb. 5, 1957 

